It’s been a while since my last blog entry in September, the Poole Harbour race was unfortunately cancelled due to high winds, with the organisers worried about the safety. Everyone was very disappointed to miss this year’s race, but are looking forward to next year and possibly the Eddystone Challenge, in Plymouth Sound, too, but I didn’t want to leave it there and no other challenge being planned, as I like to be training for something.

I’ve been thinking about a number of different challenges, being inspired by others who are pushing themselves and reading a few exploits of other sea kayakers past and present. I’ve been thinking of what I could do to raise awareness of the Crohn’s MAP vaccine, looking at options that are within my capabilities of skill and time away from home. Basically, I’m not able to take a significant amount of time off work to do an epic trip, I can’t afford too exotic a trip, but it still needs to be interesting enough to grab people’s attention, but not too dangerous!

After looking at options such as completing the Cornwall – Devon mini expedition or extending it to the Scillies, doing the DW or completing another mini-expedition such as a Coast to Coast or similar, I keep coming back to an idea I had last year after reading an article in Performance Sea Kayak. This idea keeps eating away at me, to the point where I think that nothing else will do until I have done it! Luckily this idea ticks all the boxes, as in it can be done in a day (hopefully), the start/finish is within a few hours of home and it involves a significantly long crossing of open water to be dramatic enough to raise some interest. I’ve made some enquiries about assistance and regulations and it looks possible, if not easy – but then if it was too easy it would be less interesting, I guess.

I don’t mean to be too cryptic, but I don’t want to outline too much about the challenge until I have got some confirmations on the help that I will need, when that has been confirmed I will be more able to give some more info. So, until I can confirm the arrangements, don’t worry I am working on something that I hope will be exiting, certainly challenging and will lead to a good amount of public interest and so sponsorship – until next time!